Britain slams Israeli settlement plan in West Bank

LONDON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Britain slammed Israel's recent plan to build more settlement units in the West Bank, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has announced.

"I condemn the decisions taken by the Israeli authorities to advance a number of settlement plans in the occupied West Bank," said Hugh Robertson, British Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Since Wednesday, Israel has reportedly approved to build more than 1, 220 new housing units in its settlements in the West Bank, with local media reports saying the total figure could amount to 2,372 units.

"The UK's position on settlements is longstanding: they are illegal under international law, undermine trust and threaten the viability of the two-state solution," Robertson continued, emphasizing need for "just and lasting" settlement to the conflict.

The settlement issue tops the U.S.-brokered talks between Israel and the Palestinians, which restarted last summer after a three-year halt of Israel's construction in the West Bank.

The settlements are deemed by international law as illegal and are seen by the international community as an obstacle to peace.